Saturday, 9 June 2012

Tom Winsor - without the ostrich plumes

Keen eyed viewers of the Jubilee carriage procession may have noticed an incongruous figure on horseback following at the very tail of the procession, just in front of the police cordon as it advanced up the Mall. With a bicorne hat sprouting a fountain of white ostrich plumes, cavalry overalls, a sword on hangers and a tunic encrusted at collar and cuffs with thick silver braid and generously draped with ropes of silver aiguillette, it was definitely Victorian and extremely decorative but what was it? In fact, it was Bernard Hogan-Howe, Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, in full ceremonial fig.

Actually, I'm not having a go at Bernard. So far he's been an exemplary Commissioner - he's written no columns for the Guardian, has been absent from our TV screens and has generally been as quiet as a mouse, getting on with running the police rather than his predecessor's vulgar and obsessive self-publicity. And his full-fig is only encrusted in silver braid; the more obscure Commissioner of the City of London police gets gold (see left). And I'll bet he only got togged-up to have a dig at the egregious Hugh Orde, who loves uniforms so much he made up his own Ruritanian costume to wear as Comrade Secretary General of the Chief Constables Union, ACPO, complete with plastic cornflake-packet badges. You can bet Hugh was spitting teeth at the sight of Bernard's ostrich plumes.

I'm not sure what ceremonial uniform Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary is entitled to wear, but I'm pretty sure that riding lessons and tailor's fittings are not top of Tom Winsor's agenda right now. The predictable whining from the ranks of the police at a 'civilian' being nominated for this post ignores the reality of an HMI's work; look at any of the force reports on the HMI site and you'll find nothing but performance indicators, bar charts and all the panoply of a roomful of MBAs. What the police complaints mean, of course, is that Winsor is not 'one of the lads', that he hasn't been blooded by fighting drunks on a Saturday night or bonded with the lads in the canteen as they falsify their notebooks to get their stories straight. But this isn't really necessary, is it, to question why up to 20% of plods are 'off sick' at any one time, or that when the less than honest amongst them get close to being found out they're allowed to retire on full pensions on 'health' grounds?

Police practices and privileges have become as outdated as those of dockers in the 1960s or print workers in the 1980s. Winsor knows it and so do we. An HMI without the ostrich plumes is exactly what we need right now.

My late father was a Met Officer, 'retiring' in the late 80s with 30 yrs service and a full pension. He then went on to work in the Court system for a further 14 years gaining another pension. Following 'retirement' he then did a few days a week for 3 years preparing Court Briefs for a solicitor until he finally retired.

There is no justification for the police to continue 'retiring' after 25 or 30 years. Yes, they pay into their generous pension scheme, but there is no reason why these officers shouldn't work to age 65 doing the intelligence and 'back-room' work. It would free-up their younger colleagues for the front-line role.

I know i'm a lone voice on here (up to now) but i'm afraid you are all wrong.Winsor has been employed by the govt to wreck the police and when you are being ordered about by G4S monkeys on minimum wage and in broken English,then you will have something to moan about.The police pension is another issue.All I want is the deal I was promised on joining.I have kept my side of the bargain.Head down for incoming.....

It's unfair to keep quoting Paddicks pension.He was a very senior officer,probably third or fourth in charge of the Met.I don't compare Fred the Shreds pension to a cashier at RBS in a branch.Just because Gordon Brown wrecked your pension,is it fair that Winsor steals mine?

Gordon Brown did not wreck your pension. He just removed the subsidy that the government gave you to "save" for the pension. Sobering thought: if the government removed all the subsidies (tax reliefs) that they allow on pension saving and payments then all the private pension funds would pay nothing.

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